IN THE POULTRY YARD

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 19374, 24 December 1932, Page 10

IN THE POULTRY YARD

CANNIBALISM. Cannibalism, as the vicious habit of picking toe:, combs, etc., is known, is a serious problem on some plants, and many large poultry farmers have recorded mortality of over 10 per cent, from this cause. Following the results obtained by experimental work on control of this complaint, the State College of Washington (U. 8.) has issued a bulletin on “Control of Cannibalism in Chickens,” from which the following extracts have been taken:

During the winter of 1G29, in the experiments conducted in the nutritional laboratory at this rtation, considerable difficulties were encountered by the development of cannibalistic habits among the White Leghorn chicks closely confined in batteries. The trouble appeared when the chicks reached four or six weeks of age and were developing new feathers at a rapid rate. Cla~e confinement and the presence of blood-filled shafts of new feathers in a well-lighted batteryroom apparently were major contributing causes of these outbreaks. The cannibalism was so severe that many of the chicks were killed before any method of prevention could be devised.

In attempting to control these outbreaks various shades of coloured light bulbs were tried in order to observe the effect of light on this habit. The lights were arranged overhead so that they would light only the feeding

troughs and a minimum amount of the battery compartment:. The battery compartments were Of the common open-front type. The batteries were located in a heated room ventilated with electric fans and an air-mixing device to equalise temperature in all parts of the room. Each coloured light was given two days’ trial, and all colours with the exception of the natural coloured .ruby bulb were found ineffective in the prevention of cannibalism. The natural ruby 60-watt light prevented cannibalism in chicks that had not acquired the habit and immediately arrested cannibalism in batteries where it was in progress. At this station, since this discovery, numerous lots of chickens have been raised in confinement in batteries to the age of eight weeks, and also several lots to maturity without encountering cannibalism in any case where the natural ruby light was used. The natural ruby-coloured lamp makes it impossible to see red ink ruling on a piece of white paper. It is equally impossible for the chicks to distinguish blocd on the shaft at the base of the new rapid-growing feathers. This explains the success of this type of lamp in controlling cannibalistic outbreaks in battery brooders, fattening stations, and brooder houses. The painting of the windows with red lacquer or paint to produce a ruby light in the brooder house has been used successfully to control cannibalism on commercial poultry farms in Washington and New Jersey. In New Jersey a poultryman used on his farm a paint which he had developed and demonstrated the value of painting the

windows of the brooder houses to pre*

vent cannibalism. This method of painting thb windows that was utilised so successfully on this farm was tested in April and May, 1932, in the experiment station brooder house. Both front and rear windows were painted with a rich, red coloured lacquer to produce a red ruby light—using the sun as a source of light. After the windows are cleaned and dried thoroughly they may be either painted or sprayed with a small lacquer . c ps;ay. Spraying gives a much more uniform distribution of the lacquer and prevents all streaking. In painting it is very important that the lacquer be uniformly distributed to prevent shafts of sunlight from penetrating the glass or glass substitute where the material 1 has been irregularly spread. Like treatment may be applied to the glass substitutes with similar results. Muslin should also be used on the sides of the windows to prevent the direct sunlight from penetrating into the Mouse. It is important, when using this system, to have plenty of ventilation in the brooder house and to keep it as cool as possible to secure maximum growth and development of the pullets. When a section of the laying house is used for a brooder, the poultryman may not care to use a permanent paint to lacquer the glass or glass substitute windows, and would prefer to u~e a paint that may be removed or washed off at the close’ of the eight or ten-week brooding period so that his laying house may have the lighter coloured sashes when he desires. For this purpose the use of a dark red opaque, flat finish, show-card colour is suggested. Paint this material on

the inside of the window. At the end of the brooding period it may be easily removed by washing. In the use of ruby-coloured windows it is important to secure the correct colour of red lacquer or soluble paint. All windows in the house should be painted, including the windows in the rear, as well as in front and on the ends. In all cases where cannibalism has developed in the experimental pens, the use cf red lacquer on the windows stopped the cannibalism immediately. Many poultry farmers in the State of Washington have used ruby-lighted brooder house in theif brooding this last year with excellent

A few other factors which seem to assist in controlling cannibalism in the chicks have been observed in the experimental brooder house during the lact two years. They are:—(l) The use of a warm hover and a cool room for brooding. Brooding in close confinement at high temperatures seems to develop the cannibalistic habit rapidly. (2) Feeding from the age of seven days plenty of succulent, cut green food to the chicks, at all times, in celf-feeding green food hoppers (3) Cutting down the brooding temperature so that by the fourth week the chicks are practically weaned from the heat, and roosting the chicks at five weeks (4) Removal of the cockerels as soon as the sex can be determined. The quicker the cockerels are removed the less the difficulty encountered with cannibalism. (5) Removal of thepullets from the brooder house to free range by the eighth week.